US Army Corps of Engineers

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is a US federal agency under the Department of Defense that was founded on 11 June 1775 during the American Revolutionary War. The USACE was generally associated with dams, canals, and flood protection, but it was involved in a wide range of public works across the world, and it employed 37,000 personnel in 2015. US combat engineers also served in the US Army during major conflicts such as the American Civil War and World War II, blowing up underwater obstacles and defending captured ports during Operation Overlord. The corps' most visible missions were designing and operating locks and dams, flood control, beach nourishment, waterway navigation dredging, flood protection systems, building military facilities for the Army, US Air Force, and other Defense and Federal agencies, and environmental regulation and ecosystem regulation.